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Jeff Knox Jr. and Telvion Clark know all about the value of second chances.

The international linebackers are at the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp after overcoming adversity early in their collegiate football careers. In 2010, Knox was kicked off the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team after being charged with assault. He later pleaded guilty to simple assault and the charge remains on his record.

Knox enrolled at California University of Pennsylvania where he was a star running back and cornerback. He became a motivational speaker after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences.

“You can give up or you don’t,” Knox said after Tuesday’s practice at the University of Saskatchewan’s Griffiths Stadium. “I leave everything up to God. God did his part by getting me here and now it’s time for me to do mine.”

Clark’s career could have been over after Virginia Tech booted him off the team when he was cited for misdemeanour public intoxication/swearing in 2012. Clark was also one of six players sent home early for missing Virginia Tech’s New Year’s Eve curfew at the 2011 Orange Bowl.

Clark then enrolled at Towson University for his final two seasons of NCAA eligibility. He led the Towson Tigers with 139 defensive tackles in his senior season. Clark feels the situation at Virginia Tech and other challenges in his life are the reason why he’s with the Riders.

“It made me much stronger and built me up for this moment,” Clark said. “It was all meant to happen and it’s all part of God’s plan. Going to Towson was the perfect move for me. I had a lot of fun. I got to learn a lot and make a lot of plays.”

Clark and Knox share more than their past transgressions. Both players were signed after attending Saskatchewan’s mini-camp in early April in Bradenton, Florida Clark and Knox then learned that they would be roommates during the CFL team’s training camp. The situation has worked well even though they are competing for the same position. “We help each other all of the time,” said Knox, who is a native of Pittsburgh. “We watch film together and we even go to the movies together.”

First-year Roughriders linebackers coach Tyrone Pettaway has been monitoring Clark and Knox’s progress since the early days of mini-camp.

“There is positive progression each and every day,” Pettaway said. “You can see from understanding the game that both of them are coming along quite well.”

Clark, 25, and Knox, 23, have similar dimensions. Clark, a native of Greensboro, N.C., is 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds. Knox is 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds. They both play a physical style and boast the speed that is needed to cover receivers and running backs.

“Physically they are both very fast and very athletic,” Pettaway said. “The question is, can they get to where they are supposed to be? All of the motion and guys running around can really slow you down if you’re seeing too much stuff. Mentally they have both come along.”

Pettaway is confident that Clark and Knox can handle the pass-coverage responsibilities that accompany playing weakside linebacker. “Both of them can run so they can go back in the secondary as well,” Pettaway said.

“That’s a beautiful thing about it. These aren’t guys you move down to the defensive line. These are guys that you move back into the secondary. I would pit some of those guys against some of our defensive backs in terms of running.”

Who will play the weak side remains to be determined. Macho Harris, a converted defensive back, will likely begin the season as the strong-side linebacker. That means Clark and Knox and some of the other linebackers are competing for the weakside opening.

“It’s a possibility we could carry two linebackers at that spot,” said head coach Corey Chamblin. “Who will it be? I don’t know. It’s going to come down to one starting and playing some of special teams. The other will back up and have to play on all special teams.”

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